[particulardude]

It's an M1097A2!

6.5L diesel mated to a 4 speed transmission that was built into a 4 man soft top configuration with hard doors.

It started out in great shape but ended up exceeding my expectations! The truck came out of auction with airlift bumpers with teardrop shackles as well as a winch but most everything else was added/updated.


Upgrades / major work done:
-rebuilt engine
-rebuilt trans
-upgraded radiator
-frame off tear down (frame and body were hand finished and repainted to my preference on a budget - could have gone way overboard with powder coating etc but not the goal at the moment)
-all new OE LED lights
-Mod Mafia replica H1 tri marker lights front and rear in factory positions
-fresh paint - mil spec Camouflage Sand 30277
-four 'like new' captain chairs
-four 'like new' OE X doors
-OE 24 bolt wheels with 'like new' OE Goodyear Wrangler MT/R
-early H1 style mirrors
-OE radio tray with cupholder mod
-new interior padding in the front (builder surprised me with this - I had specified to hold off on that as I will be exploring sound deadening materials in the near future)
-William Welch handmade soft top with his 'kayak access' rear curtain with large window (OE soft tops are notoriously very poorly manufactured)


The possibilities are simply endless with these trucks. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted but got a ton of inspiration from insights shared by members of the Humvee community and builds shared on Instagram.

Summer 2020 I took a deep deep dive into the platform intricacies and along with an expert builder, we established the phase one plan.

There were changes along the way as I continued to learn more and already have more tweaks in the works. For any Humvee or H1 purests here, the goal was not to be 'period correct' or anything. I have complete respect for all segments of the enthusiast community but I'll be sticking to OEM+.

I did not serve in the military but hats off to all those who did and continue to do so including those members of my immediate family. It's a common question around the decision to purchase one of these. Also not a military buff (yet). This truck is actually a childhood dream come true!

Growing up without TV, I was not introduced to the HMMWV on the news as it was deployed for Operation Just Cause or The Battle of Mogadishu. My introduction came in the flesh as Arnold Schwarzenegger brought forth their civilian introduction as the Hummer H1. Up close and personal while living in Moab, UT, convoys of these beasts began to crash Jeep Safari.

I was enamored as a kid and remain enamored with the fact I now own one of these rolling Kleenex boxes!


Immediate plans:
-gauge refurb/replace
-Ram Mounts for iPhone and iPad
-sound deadening
-H1 wiper arms and blades
-my dog just farted
-replace winch cable with a synthetic option
-mudflaps
-plate mount
-fire extinguisher - OE is to mount next to the captain (driver) seat
-small (but loud!) Bluetooth speaker
-OE bed/cabin rear partition
-bed line just the bed, partition, inside of tailgate and shoulder panels of the rear fenders

Down the road plans:
-spare mount
-likely go with a MOMO wheel
-possible upgrades to the motor
-cameras
-debating late model H1 'elephant' mirrors
-going to spec out how Pelican Cargo may work in the bed/rear fenders
-on the fence about a brush guard - current preference is the early H1 thin version


I'm curious to gauge the interest here - the couple of main mil vehicle forums are not my jam and don't have near the participation of this community.

If there is interest I'm happy to do my best to answer questions and share these planned changes as they progress.

Thank you for looking!

[RM7]

Well that brings back some memories. Mostly of water ingress and breaking hubs. Those giant mirrors would rattle loose and fall off, at least I remember that happening a lot. We were hard on the vehicles, so there is that. The tracked vehicles were a lot more fun to jump, er, "drive".

Looks like a fun project. Making the suspension more compliant would be big on my list. They were meant to tow around water buffalos and other heavy things and those rear springs are a back-breaker.

[KennyFSU]

Nice work, that thing is a beast, always liked the OG H1.

[GenXer]

Looks awesome. Now what you need is an actual cruise control, insulation and air conditioner.
How are you going to ford a river without an air stack and lifted exhaust?

Also, throttle lock is not a good or legal substitute for cruise control!

[383vett]

Looks like fun. That should take you over a few snowbanks.

[tron1043]

Color is amazing.

[particulardude]

Thank you for taking a look!

Will reply to individual comments and provide some more info.

[particulardude]

Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes

Well that brings back some memories. Mostly of water ingress and breaking hubs. Those giant mirrors would rattle loose and fall off, at least I remember that happening a lot. We were hard on the vehicles, so there is that. The tracked vehicles were a lot more fun to jump, er, "drive".

Looks like a fun project. Making the suspension more compliant would be big on my list. They were meant to tow around water buffalos and other heavy things and those rear springs are a back-breaker.

Tracked vehicle jumping lol

The builder I worked with offers a much better spring rate option. Forgot to put that on the list for future mods - thank you for the reminder!

He suggested it and I should have listened to him when we had the tub off but oh well.

Last note for the moment on suspension - I actually like the rake. A lot of the suspension mods on these aim to level the truck. May get there but still liking the slight rake.

In addition to comfort it should help address the rear positive camber these trucks have given like you said - they are built to carry heavy loads!

Speaking of mirrors - these early H1 ones I sourced are not awesome - too puny. Not sure about dropping $2k on 'elephants' just yet - tbd.

Originally Posted by KennyFSU

Nice work, that thing is a beast, always liked the OG H1.

Thanks dude!

Originally Posted by GenXer

Looks awesome. Now what you need is an actual cruise control, insulation and air conditioner.
How are you going to ford a river without an air stack and lifted exhaust?

Also, throttle lock is not a good or legal substitute for cruise control!

cruise - nope
airbags - nope
radio - nope
insulation - nope
ac - nope

Actually came out of auction with the real deal fording kit. In addition to the exhaust and raised intake you see in that before photo, it has an engine kit enabling the ability to safely ford. I'm not sure what the kit includes under the hood but there's something associated with it.

Decided to lose the ford intake and exhaust. I mean I know this is a completely ridiculous vehicle to begin with - wasn't going to keep the fording stuff purely based on appearance.

Originally Posted by stein_325i

Looks awesome! Enjoy the new truck

Thank you!

Originally Posted by 383vett

Looks like fun. That should take you over a few snowbanks.

Originally Posted by tron1043

Color is amazing.

Thanks homie!


Couple pics from a quick drive today. Arctic temps here in Chicagoland.

[erickonphoenix]

If you don’t install a 50. Cal in the bed you fail

[particulardude]

Originally Posted by erickonphoenix

If you don't install a 50. Cal in the bed you fail

Builder's truck —>

Absolutely incredible amount of configurations possible with these rigs 🤙🏻

[GERMAN M3]

Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes

Well that brings back some memories. Mostly of water ingress and breaking hubs. Those giant mirrors would rattle loose and fall off, at least I remember that happening a lot. We were hard on the vehicles, so there is that. The tracked vehicles were a lot more fun to jump, er, "drive".

Looks like a fun project. Making the suspension more compliant would be big on my list. They were meant to tow around water buffalos and other heavy things and those rear springs are a back-breaker.

Definitely brings back some great memories JamesNoBrakes Had some good times @ Ft.Irwin (NTC)!

[GERMAN M3]

Originally Posted by particulardude

Builder's truck —>

Absolutely incredible amount of configurations possible with these rigs 🤙🏻

Thanks for sharing particulardude .

[particulardude]

Nerd achievement unlocked

[W///]

This is insanely cool. I remember watching a review of the civilian version and was blown away by what the thing could do. That was the first time I ever heard of one as I lived in Europe.

Just out of curiosity, what do these things go for in auction?

[Vivek.]

Originally Posted by particulardude

Couple pics from a quick drive today. Arctic temps here in Chicagoland.

Does it have heat? I saw a few of these at cars and coffee in SF this weekend. Super cool trucks.

[particulardude]

Originally Posted by W///

This is insanely cool. I remember watching a review of the civilian version and was blown away by what the thing could do. That was the first time I ever heard of one as I lived in Europe.

Just out of curiosity, what do these things go for in auction?

Thank you - I am absolutely loving it!

Detailed auction info is avail online (free). I believe it even shows what each bid cycle is from low to win.

If you ever seriously start looking shoot me a DM. There are some specific 'tiers' you want to focus on. But depending on which engine/trans combo and overall condition I have seen them go from under $10k to over $50k - raw from auction. One of the first things you'll learn if you ever start looking is that while anyone can buy from these auctions, you need gov clearance that can take months and months to get before you can pick up whatever you end up buying.

There are some great videos out there re your mention of seeing one years ago. The civilian H1 vs mil spec HMMWV is an interesting chat. I looked fairly close at H1s before going forward with the mil surplus option. But I digress - that's another whole thread. I will say imo, sans a bunch of excess 90s plastic and carpet, my mil spec one is one in the same. That is a very divisive opinion though - to each their own!

Re videos - this is long for today's attention spans and low quality but friggin' awesome! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZG5...6Ys32&index=10

Originally Posted by Vivek.

Does it have heat? I saw a few of these at cars and coffee in SF this weekend. Super cool trucks.

That's awesome they were out at c&c !

Heat - yes

AC - no

AC is easy enough to add. About $4k for the correct system and then depending on diy ability the install labor.

[Vivek.]

AC isn't really necessary most of the time anyways, heat is more of a must-have IMO. Especially in Chicago, most of the time you'd be fine opening the window if you're warm. Here's one of the Humvees from this weekend, it had the turret gun and some grenades (probably replicas?) in the cupholders:

[W///]

Originally Posted by particulardude

Thank you - I am absolutely loving it!

Detailed auction info is avail online (free). I believe it even shows what each bid cycle is from low to win.

If you ever seriously start looking shoot me a DM. There are some specific 'tiers' you want to focus on. But depending on which engine/trans combo and overall condition I have seen them go from under $10k to over $50k - raw from auction. One of the first things you'll learn if you ever start looking is that while anyone can buy from these auctions, you need gov clearance that can take months and months to get before you can pick up whatever you end up buying.

There are some great videos out there re your mention of seeing one years ago. The civilian H1 vs mil spec HMMWV is an interesting chat. I looked fairly close at H1s before going forward with the mil surplus option. But I digress - that's another whole thread. I will say imo, sans a bunch of excess 90s plastic and carpet, my mil spec one is one in the same. That is a very divisive opinion though - to each their own!

Re videos - this is long for today's attention spans and low quality but friggin' awesome! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZG5...6Ys32&index=10




That's awesome they were out at c&c !

Heat - yes

AC - no

AC is easy enough to add. About $4k for the correct system and then depending on diy ability the install labor.

That's awesome. As for me, it's more about curiosity on something I know literally nothing about. I don't see myself owning one, but no doubt I'll always respect the hell out of them. There was a guy that brought one to work and I parked my 2016 Tundra Crewcab next to him. Made mine look like a Corolla!

[particulardude]

thanks for sharing the pic!

grenades in the cup holders lol

for sure re AC

if I were in AZ it would be a different story!

I'll play it by ear but should be good with taking off the soft top and doors if necessary!

[particulardude]

endless accessory options on these things

[particulardude]

cleaning and thinking today

brush guard is on - many choices but sought this one out - OG OE H1

once the weather here in Chicagoland warms up I'll be tackling sound deadening

in the meantime I'm doing my best to resist further accessorizationing

[nyalpine90]

where can one buy a humvee?